56.4 F
Ocala
Friday, March 29, 2024

Reddick man disassembles, steals carport from relative’s home

A 46-year-old Reddick man was arrested after disassembling and stealing a relative’s aluminum carport.

On Saturday, January 1, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a NW 59th Avenue residence in Marion County in reference to a theft.

Upon arrival, a female victim told the deputy that one of her relatives, Barry Bernard Ellis, had stolen her carport.

Reddick man disassembles steals aluminum carport from residence
Barry Bernard Ellis

The victim stated that at around 3 a.m., Ellis had entered her yard and stole the carport after disassembling it.

She told the deputy that she was able to identify Ellis through video footage that was taken by her cameras which were recently installed.

The deputy was shown the video footage and observed a man in dark jeans and a red shirt disassemble the carport. The pieces were then taken to a parked vehicle on the roadway, though the vehicle was too far away from the camera for the deputy to properly identify it.

The deputy responded to Ellis’ last known address on NW 53rd Court Road in Reddick. A female at the residence stated that Ellis had not been home since Tuesday, December 28, and she told the deputy that she would contact MCSO once he returned home.

After conducting a computer check, the deputy discovered that Ellis had a prior grand theft conviction out of Marion County in July of 2008.

On Monday, the deputy returned to the NW 53rd Court Road residence and located Ellis. According to the MCSO report, the deputy identified Ellis as the man from the video.

Ellis denied taking the carport and told the deputy that he had been on the victim’s property on January 1 in order to “look at a recliner.”

When the deputy attempted to place Ellis in handcuffs, the report indicated that Ellis took a step away from the deputy and yelled for his girlfriend.

The deputy grabbed Ellis’ arm and he managed to get away. Ellis took a few steps, and the deputy was able to grab his body and escort him to the ground.

Ellis managed to get up again and ran toward the back of the residence. The backyard was heavily wooded, and the deputy caught up to Ellis and apprehended him.

The deputy conducted a pat-down search of Ellis and located a glass pipe in his front left pocket. The pipe was wrapped in a napkin and had a white powdery residue that later field-tested positive for cocaine.

Ellis was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $4,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for second degree petit theft along with misdemeanor charges for resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.